The present invention relates generally to side door structures for motor vehicles and their method of manufacture, and more particularly, such a structure which permits a decorative interior skin of the door to extend beyond interior door surface and around the side edge, so that so seams or skin edges are not visible.
Automobile side doors typically have a decorative interior skin, such as fabric, vinyl or leather with an underlying support structure or substrate. The skin may cover the entire interior surface of the door, with only handles, knobs, and such, protruding through the skin.
In most vehicles, this skin stops at the rear edge of the door, with its edge clearly visible. It would be desirable, from an aesthetic point of view, to have the skin extend smoothly around the edge of the door so that its edge is not visible. FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic, sectional view of an automotive front door or the driver's side, as seen from below. In this example, the door has a striker bezel Z which contains an upwardly (in FIG. 1) protruding hook (see FIG. 2),which is captured within a latch in the door frame of the vehicle. Bezel Z mounts on the sheet metal D at the edge of the door. Towards the exterior of the door, a striker bezel Z is also mounted over the sheet metal.
On the right side of FIG. 1 a typical skin wrap-around door construction, where there are shown a portion of the substrate B which supports the skin and a portion of the skin N, which has been laminated over the substrate B and bent around the edge of the door and stops short of the striker bezel. This conceals the edge of the skin from the interior of the vehicle.
This provides the desired interior effect of the skin, with the edge of the skin being hidden between the door and door frame when the door is closed. However, there is a manufacturing tolerance of ±3 mm between the bottom edge (in FIG. 1) of substrate B and the top edge of sheet metal D.
FIG. 1 illustrates the nominal orientation between skin N and bezel Z. However, when the manufacturing tolerance of plus or minus 3 mm is taken into account, the top surface of skin N may be substantially below or above the top surface of bezel Z. In its highest position, skin N is sufficiently above bezel Z to create an unattractive gap between the skin and the striker bezel (seen when the door is open). It also creates the possibility that some portion of the end of the skin can be snagged and damaged by a sharp or jagged element. At its lowest position, skin N is sufficiently below bezel Z to create an unattractive gap between them. Thus, the wrap around skin creates a desirable interior appearance when the door is closed, but manufacturing tolerances result in difficulties in controlling the gap between skin N and striker bezel Z, and the possibility that the edge of the skin can be damaged or torn.